Death Note: Gin's Story Part one, The Beginning
by GinRummie
Summary: At twelve years, Gin is a genious. She decides to work at the Wammy House, but when tradgedy strikes she moves in. Learning the truth of the home, she begins down a series of events that will change her life forever. Part one of two. R&R - EDITED!
1. Chapter 1

**Death Note: Lost **

**Part one:**

Gin had always lived a very privileged life. As a child, she was enrolled into the most prestigious schools and was always involved in various activities. At five she learned how to play the violin. A skill she was quick to pick up and master by the time she hit seven. She was a child prodigy; a talented and intelligent young girl that could debate those who were much older than she. By the time she hit grade school age, her parents put her in private schools. Gin quickly moved up through them as though it were nothing and by the time she was twelve, she was already a junior in high school. This caused some problems for her, of course. Her peers did not see her the way she did. Gin was a sort of loner, always by herself. So she decided to take up volunteer work.

Gin had always known about the Wammy House. She could remember all the times her father would tell her about the place, as he was close friends with the head master. At first, she was curious to why she was never enrolled into that place. But then she learned that it was as an orphanage. When Gin found that out, it made her more than happy to help work there. Working with children sounded as though it would be fun, even though she was still a child herself. It was decided that she would do it and her father put in a call to Roger. Her appointment would be the following day.

Gin could remember that day clearly. It was a beautiful day even though it was raining. For this special occasion, she knew that she had to wear something special, so she decided on her frilly little white dress; the one with the pink lacy bows, of course. Now because it was raining, she knew that a jacket was needed or else she'd get all wet and her dressed would be ruined. Gin remembered walking down the sidewalk in her rain boots, twirling her umbrella as she hit every puddle she could, making annoying splish-splash noises. Of course through this play, butterflies were rising in her stomach. Clearly she was nervous about her meeting.

When Gin reached the Wammy House, she was surprised at what she saw. Not only surprised, but in total awe. Why was it that throughout her whole life living here she had never noticed this place? The massive structure stood apart from the other buildings, its moss covered stones showing its age. Grabbing onto the large bars of the gate, Gin looked up at the Wammy House with wide, innocent eyes, her mouth slightly hanging open. She stood there for some time, the only things taking her back to reality was the rain, as she had dropped her umbrella, and the voice of a stranger.

"Hello." Called a voice from behind the gate.

Turning, she spotted a boy. What an unusual person he was, she thought as she looked him over. He was like none she had ever seen before. His hair, his shirt and pants, everything was soaked from it rain. It clung to his rather tall, yet small frame. Hands where stuffed into his pockets, his face held no emotion. Rings were under his eyes, more than likely from sleepless nights. But the strangest thing she saw about him was that he was outside without an umbrella, and from the look of how wet his clothes were, it seemed as though he had been out for a while. Gin almost felt the urge to offer her own umbrella to him, but knew that by now it was worthless to even ask him. She gave him a smile. "Hi, I'm Gin. What's your name?"

"I like to be called L." He grinned at her, sticking him hand through the gate.

She moved her hand over and after giving his hand a small shake, letting it fall back to her side. "Can you let me in the gate? I have an appointment with Roger."

"No." He said very bluntly.

"No?" Repeated Gin. "Why not?"

"I don't believe you." He said.

"How come?"

L shrugged, leaning against the gate. He was strange for although he was talking to her, he never bothered to make eye contact with her, but rather kept his gaze straight ahead of him. Gin watched him as she shuffled around nervously, obviously unsure of what to do. At first, she thought about asking once more to be let in, but when she opened her mouth, the sound of a loud buzzer cut her off before she spoke.

"Ah, Gin! Hello. I'll let you in. L, could you please show her the way to my office?" Roger's voice rang out from a speaker overhead.

L finally looked at her for a second, before shrugging. Taking his hands out of his pockets, he fumbled with the lock for a moment. Pulling towards the side, he slid the gate into the brick wall, letting her inside. Once he had shut it again and locked it, he turned around and led her inside. As they walked, she couldn't help but notice how L's clothes made that annoying little sloshing noise from being wet, the trail of water he was leaving behind him, and how his bare feet made small pat, pat noises. But it didn't bother her like it would normally. With him, it just seemed natural that he was like that. He didn't seem to have a problem with it, so she decided that she wouldn't, either.

When they finally reached Roger's office, L suddenly stopped a few feet away. Gin stopped as well, turning to look at him. He turned to do the same, a look of curiosity was over his face, but he didn't say another word to her. Turning around, he began to walk back the hallway the same way he came. Their meeting ended up leaving her with a strange feeling she could shake off. Was this the only encounter they would ever have, or was it the beginning to something more?

Turning around, Gin grabbed the handle of the door, standing there until she could no longer hear his footfalls. Twisting it, she stepped inside. The beginning of her life story was about to begin and she wasn't even aware of it. At least, not yet…


	2. Chapter 2

"Please, sit down." Roger said.

Gin took her place on the seat placed in front of the desk. Looking around the room, she saw a beautifully crafted office full of small knick knacks and antiques. The walls were built in bookcases, full to the capacity with books. She wondered if he had read all of them. Fear began to rise in her again when she thought of this as she wondered how someone like him would think of a child like her. _Just don't screw up_, she kept reminding herself.

"You're father told me that you would like to come help me, hmm? Tell me, what would you like to do here?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," Gin said quietly. "I guess it wouldn't matter what I did. I can do anything, sir." Shuffling uneasily, she glanced up at him. She expected him to be looking at her in a strange way. After all, she should know what she wanted to do, right? But instead, his face still held the same gentle expression as before. This made her feel more comfortable, so she decided to ask him a question. "What can I do here?"

Roger leaned back in his chair, thinking as he spoke. "Well, nothing too big to start out with." He began, "How about being a maid? The responsibility is small and you will have others to help you out with the chores. It's very easy work. How does that sound?"

Gin smiled, nodding her head slightly. To be honest, she was probably so excited that she would have agreed to do anything around the house just to be able to work there. "I think that's great. I'll do that." She answered him.

Roger smiled slowly. This old man was going to be someone that she wouldn't soon forget. "I'm glad." He said, pushing his chair back away from the desk. Standing slowly, he walked over to her. Gin did as well, knowing that their short meeting was drawing to a close. As he walked her towards the door, he stopped her for a second. "Why is it that you want to work here... if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't know, really." Gin admitted. "My father told me that this was a nice place to volunteer at… and since you two are such good friends… I assumed it would be nice, too."

Roger nodded. "You know, there aren't a lot of people that I would allow at this place. Especially people that I do not know very well. You should find yourself privileged that you are allowed here without the supervision of your parents. Things occur here that no one should know about. I'm not yet sure if I can even trust you yet, but being so young I'm willing to go out on a limb to see if I am right about you." As he opened the door, he gave her a smile to reassure her. "I'm not trying to be rude towards you, Gin. I just hope that you will not break my trust."

"So does this mean… does this mean that I have the job?" She asked cautiously.

He nodded. "Yes. Please don't let me down."


	3. Chapter 3

Days at the Wammy House went by fast. Gin's duties requested a lot out of her even though she had the help of several other ladies. Even though it was hard, it was still a fun job for her and rarely did she ever complain. However, one thing struck Gin as odd and bothered her. During her whole time here she had never laid eyes on any child, with the exception of L. This was very strange, after all it was an orphanage. Naturally there should be children all over the place, but there wasn't. It began to bother her so much that one day she decided to ask them about it. Gin waited after they were cleaning to ask the other ladies about it. Maybe they would know what was going on.

"Why is it that I don't ever see any children around the home?" She asked.

Gin could tell the look of concern cross the woman's face briefly as she searched for something to say to her. No doubt it would be a lie, Gin thought to herself. And it was. She was young, but not stupid. "Ah… Well." The woman began. "They are very busy with schooling and other things during the day. It is best to keep them out of our way, yes? So they won't just mess up what we just tidied."

"I suppose so..." Gin said, not believing her. There was something she was hiding. Something that Gin wanted to find out. Remembering was Roger had told her the very first day she came to the Home, her curiosity about where they kept the children rose. She had to find out their secret, _had_ to.

After she was finished cleaning, she lingered in the room a while as she waited for the other ladies to leave. This was not out of the ordinary, as she often did this. As soon as she felt it was safe, Gin crept out of the hallway carefully, checking to see if anyone was coming. Even though she knew the halls were going to be dead, she also knew that it always seemed that the moment you were up to something, someone ended up coming at the wrong moment. With skilled movements, she maneuvered down the hall, checking door after door. Locked. All of them were locked. Disappointment brewed within her as she leaned up against the wall, letting out an exasperated sigh. Sinking down towards the floor, she sat there with her knees drawn up close to her chest. "Well… this sucks." She mumbled to herself.

As she sat there, the gentle pitter patter of someone's bare feet came down the hall, quickly bringing her out of her thoughts and mood. Her heart leapt up into her throat as she looked up; catching a quick glimpse of the boy she had met her first day here walking slowly down the hallway. His hands were in his pockets and he was hunched over slightly. Standing up, she called out his name.

He didn't respond and kept walking down the hallway.

_He must not have heard _me, Gin thought to herself, so she called again. "L! Wait! Hey!" Gin started to go after him, but stopped after a few steps once he had stopped walking. He only turned around slightly; just enough to see who was calling for him. Finally, she had seen life during the day time and it was a miracle it was this boy.

"What do you want?" His asked his voice cold and very complacent. This threw her off. His eyes were narrow, showing his annoyance with her.

Wounded, she drew back slightly. "I just wanted to talk to you…" she heard herself say. "I haven't seen you since… the first day I was here and that was a few months ago. I haven't seen anyone here and…" she trailed off when she could see that he was clearly not interested in what she had to say.

"You wanted to talk?" L asked and for a moment Gin thought she saw something in his face begin to change, but that was just wishful thinking on her part, for what he said next came as a crushing blow to her. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in talking to a child." And with that, he turned and continued walking down the hallway, leaving Gin standing there, mouth slightly open and tears running down her face.

During the months following the incident she had with L, Gin tried to keep herself very busy with her work. She barely talked to the other ladies and mostly kept to herself during that time. She knew that they others were more than likely concerned with her a she was normally a very chatty little thing, but they never asked her what was wrong. In a way, they probably knew by the way she was sulking that it was a boy that had broken her heart. After all, they were all much older women and they had gone through her age at one point in all of their lives. They let her be, and didn't scold at her like normal, giving her space to heal the wounds that she may have.

The months went by quickly and before she had known it, two years had gone by in the Wammy House. Gin was surprised by how fast the time had gone by. Soon she would be graduating high school. Though only fourteen, the mere thought of starting college at such a young age frightened her. Was she going to be able to accept the responsibilities? Only time would tell. In the meantime, she needed to focus on the here and now.

Roger had been watching her very closely during this time, more than he normally did. Gin was slowly building up her trust with him but it was not enough yet to reveal the secrets of the House. He watched her every day come after school, and leave in the evening. She never did anything she wasn't supposed to while under watchful eyes and never spoke out of line with any of the older ladies that helped to clean the house. He knew that it would be time soon to show her, but for now he waited.

L kept mostly to himself, as normal. From time to time he would see that girl as he walked down the hallway, but then turn before she had any chance to see him and walk quietly away. That day he had spoken so rudely to her was still in his mind. Whether or not he meant it was a different story. Of course she was still a child, but Roger had said she was as intelligent as he. Was it so? She didn't seem very bright the first time he had spoken to her. Of course, first impressions often don't say a whole lot about a person, especially when they are caught off guard. But no matter, for now it was best to just stay away.

Life at the Wammy House was silent, peaceful, and foreboding at the same time. Yet Gin continued to work there, desperately trying to know the secret that Roger had teased her about. There was never enough time to investigate as she had that one day; she never wanted to stay in the house longer than needed in fear of running into L. Her feelings towards him were that of anger and she did not want to be hurt like that anymore. Even if he was still a stranger to her, the words he said hurt her.

Yes, life in the Wammy House was strange and Gin enjoyed every moment of it.

Until… There came a night that changed her life forever.


	4. Chapter 4

It was raining hard that night. That night was actually the first time that Gin had ever stayed that late. It wasn't her fault, though. The other ladies had called off due to the storm, but Gin still arrived. Not wanting to leave without working, she volunteered to do the work of four ladies all by herself. It was harder; harder than usual, but she got it done. She took her seat on the steps, rubbing her sore muscles as she stared out of the window. This was a good place to sit because from here Gin was able to see her parent's headlights from down the street.

As she sat there looking out the window, head rested against the wall, her eyes lids started to become heavy. _I'll only rest my eyes for a moment_, she thought to herself. Before she could think again, she had drifted off to sleep. A few hours passed before her eyes fluttered back open. The dreamy state of first waking up was interrupted by the feeling of fear. Looking down at her watch, Gin looked out of the window. No one was there. Still. What had happened to them? Images ran through her head. Horrible ones. She started to think the worst.

"Gin?" Roger's voice. There was something wrong with his tone.

She turned around quickly, fear showed in her face. "What is it, Roger?" She said; her voice high pitched with fear. "Did something happen to them?"

He was silent for a moment, but the look in his eyes told her what he was going to say. "I'm sorry…" was all that he managed to get out before she started to cry.

It was later when Gin learned what had happened to her parents. They were on their way to pick her up when the rain started to become too much for them. Pulling off to the side of the road as Gin had assumed they would do, they sat there while they waited for the rain to let up. As they sat there, a drunk driver came opposite of them, oblivious to the storm, went left of center and hit them head on at 90 mph. Her parents were killed; the driver survived.

The funeral came and went by quickly. Gin was left in a state of grief that left her in a daze. She shook people's hands, received hugs from those who were close to her family. She had no living relatives. In one moment, she became an orphan. There was a feeling of hollowness that stayed with her the following months after their deaths. She was no longer the girl that she once was; just a shell of a human with nothing on the inside. Gin did not speak to anyone; did not eat anything. She would lie, but only nightmares came to her at night. She was nothing without her parents.

Roger took pity on Gin and took her into the Wammy House. Although she already had a home she could go to, it was too painful for her to go back to it. He understood that and gave her as much time as she needed to heal. He helped her in trying to heal from her wounds, too. Little by little she started to become the same girl as before. Gin started to become more involved with the house and Roger knew that before long… it would be time to tell her everything she needed to know.

Yes. The time was coming to tell her everything.


	5. Chapter 5

L stood by the entrance of the room, leaning against the door. With hands stuffed into his pockets, he looked across the room at Roger. "Why did you call me in?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Gin." He responded.

"Why have you taken an interest in her? She's nothing special."

"L, even you should know that not everything is as it seems; that you need to look closer."

L shrugged. He didn't really trust Roger with his word at the moment. That Gin was only going to create problems and he could see it. She was nothing more than a mere child, that's all. She may have been smart in her private school sense, but that was nothing compared to the intelligence of the children that stayed here at the Wammy House. The way she spoke told him of that. She was still immature; emotionally and intellectually. There was no way that she could be what Roger said she was. Therefore, she wasn't worth his time. "I just don't see why she is suddenly so important."

"Well, if you had ever taken the time to talk to her, perhaps you would." Roger leaned back. "Tell me, why is it that you haven't spoken to her since the first day she arrived here at the Home?"

"I've just been busy." He lied, looking towards the floor. Did he really need to explain his actions to him? L didn't see the point in it.

"Well you won't be busy tomorrow." Roger said. "I was thinking about attending her Graduation and you are coming."

"I don't think that's such a good idea…" L mumbled.

"I don't want to hear any excuses. You will come and you will talk with her. I just want everyone to see her as I do. After all, she is part of the Wammy House now and soon she will learn about the truth behind this place. I don't want her to feel as if she is alone. Don't you remember when you first came here?"

"I guess so." L said, but the truth is that he remembered everything very vividly. Of course, he wouldn't say that to Roger. At least, not right now. He didn't want lectures. But as he thought about it more, he did think that Roger was right. Maybe he should give this girl a chance. He didn't see why he should act so hostile towards her now. "Alright." He said. "I'll go…"


	6. Chapter 6

Gin's graduation was on a day that was very rare. The sun was brightly shining down; the weather was quite enjoyable for that time of the year. She knew that it was an omen of good fortune that was about to follow her from this day forward. Dressed in those silly robes and that itchy cap, she stood there feeling as if she looked like the silliest person alive. But of course, it would not ruin her day. She had made it, of course not like the other students. She was graduating early; at only fourteen. But she still had the same feeling of satisfaction that everyone else had. After all, she did work just as hard as the rest of her peers, maybe even harder.

Though the day was beautiful and she was in high spirits, she was still upset. Her parents always looked forward to the day their only daughter would graduate from high school and now they would never see it happen. Gin stood outside the house, looking up towards the sky. Where her parents looking down at her right now? If so, were they proud of their daughter? As she stood there, Roger suddenly appeared next to her.

"Your parents would have been very proud of you. Just remember, they're looking at you from Heaven right now with pride in their hearts. Don't let them down." He whispered quietly at her, giving her a smile.

The ceremony went by quickly, as she expected it to. Before she knew it, she was now an alumnus. After various pictures taken by Roger, she went to find someplace quiet to be for a while. Seeking solace in the shade of an old oak tree, she took off her graduation robe and cap, laying it beside her. Sitting there in the cool grass, she began to roll the lace of her white dress between her fingers. So much has happened and in a way, it was going by so quickly. Being away from everyone made it seems as if time itself was standing still for her even if only for a moment.

She soon felt as if she was not alone. Gin turned her head slightly over towards a shadow and knew who it was. She didn't speak, but rather waited for him to say the first words.

"Hey." L said, shifting around uneasily. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

Gin shook her head; L sat down, but in the most peculiar way. She could not help but look at him strangely as he did this, but he seemed to pay no mind to it. His gaze never really came to meet hers, but rather stayed on the ground as he picked at the blades of grass. They were silent, but it was nothing awkward. At the time, it seemed right and the thought of talking and ruining it seemed very wrong to her. So they sat.

It was L that broke the silence. "I apologize to you for the other day."

Gin was startled, not by the apology itself, but for how he worded it. The other day? It was over two years ago that they last spoke and he was treating it as thought it had just happened. "It's okay… I suppose." She said quietly, still twirling the ribbons in between her fingers for a while longer before she looked back up at him, finding that he was also looking at her. This made her uneasy. "Actually," she corrected, "It's not. I don't deserve to be treated like that."

Her statement seemed to have startled him. "Oh? Why do you say that?"

"I'm not some stupid child. If you had taken the time to get to know me, maybe you would have realized that." Anger was rising in her slowly, "What gives you the right to say that to me! Just who do you think you are?"

"L." He said, his face remaining unchanged.

A strange look crossed her face and before she could help herself, she was laughing. It was an absurd response; one that was totally not expected. Pretty soon through her laughter, L began to smile slightly. In a way, it was a good way to break the ice. Better than sitting in silence after all. It was also after this time that their relationship started to grow and she soon started to learn the secrets of the Wammy House.


	7. Chapter 7

"I don't understand."

Both Roger and Gin were back in his office; he sitting behind his desk and her in front of it. Just like the first day she was there. It was time for her to learn about the secrets. Roger had just finished explaining to her everything that she was dying to know about the house before. There was a problem, however; now that she did know, Gin was left in a state of confusion. She had assumed that there was something more, but this? It was strangely unbelievable. She just could not grasp it at the moment.

"I think it would be best to show you." Roger said, motioning for her to get up. Once she did, he pointed to the back of the room. "L will show you."

Gin stood, following L as he led her out into the hallway. They were silent the whole time, L barely even looked at her. It made her nervous and was too afraid to ask him anything. What she had been told was still going through her mind, and she knew that in a way L must be angry that Roger even told her. She could tell it by the way he was acting.

They soon came across a doorway. L reached out his hand and opened it. They both walked inside and L led her through the room. Curiosity overcame her as she looked around, touching everything that was close to her without any hesitation. As she looked around, she could also see something else she had never seen before: children. They were moving around, talking in groups over paperwork she couldn't make out.

They made their way to the back of the room where an elderly gentleman sat behind a very small metal desk very much unlike the grand one that Roger sat behind. He was fascinating to Gin, for although he was quiet and strange looking sitting there, be also looked like a very generous and kind person. L stopped in front of his desk. Gin stood beside him, glanced between the two people as they started to talk.

L pointed over to Gin. "Roger told her."He said, never looking over at her.

The elderly gentleman slowly turned his head over to look at Gin, a smile on his face. Standing up, he extended his hand towards her. Gin did the same and they shook hands. "Hello, Gin. It's so good to finally meet you in person. My name is Watari; I am the founder of the Wammy House."

"Founder?" Gin asked, confused. "But I always assumed…"

Watari nodded his head, letting out a small chuckle. "Well, that would seem only natural for you to think that, but no, he is not." He slowly walked around the desk, his smile never leaving his face. "I see that you are still confused about the information that you were given. Am I correct about this?"

Gin nodded slowly. "Yeah. I am."

"Well, then… I will explain everything you have questions on. Here, let me show you around this room." Taking her by the arm, Watari starting to walk her around the large room. L followed close behind, his gaze mostly on the floor most of the time as they walked. The old man started to tell her about the House. "I founded this House many years ago in order to train gifted children. In a way, they are brought up in order to succeed the child, or rather adult, before them. They help investigators and the police with crimes that cannot be solved, but we always hide our identities. Their names are not given out freely to strangers. This is why when you ask for L's name, he only gave you an initial."

Gin nodded slightly. "I see."

"I am very close to L. He is the one that had been chosen to succeed the one before him and he is a very bright and intelligent young boy, already solving numerous amounts of cases for the police." Nodded Watari.

Gin turned around to glance at L, "Oh, I didn't know that." She said softly. Turning back to Watari, she asked more questions, wanting to know as much as she could. Of course, Watari didn't hesitate to tell her everything that he knew. This was taken as a compliment to Gin, as before not a word of this Wammy House's true identity was breathed around her. Now she was learning everything that only the members of this house knew.

They came across a table littered with papers and photographs of crime scenes. Without asking, Gin reached over curiously and started to leaf through them. When she realized that no one would stop her, she brought them closer to her, examining them more thoroughly. Looking over to Watari and L, she showed them the papers. "Why is it that you brought me to this table?"

"Ah, well." Watari began, scratching his head. "I was just wondering if you could see what these children could. I know you are a very intelligent young lady, Gin. I know how you have a very strong ability to read people. Perhaps you can tell me about the crime and the one who committed the act just by looking at the crime scene photos?"

Gin shrugged, unsure of her ability to accomplish such a task. "I don't know. I've never done this before. It may take some time."

He smiled back at her. "There is no rush. Please, take your time if you need it."

The crime scene was a horrific sight for her. The apartment was ransacked; items thrown about every which way possible. The murder victim, a woman, lay on the ground. Marks around her neck showed how she had died, or at least a possible way. At first glance, she could already make some assumptions about the person who had committed this crime. Setting everything back on the table, she began to go to work.

Gin combed through the table full of files, going through the stack of papers scattered in front of her. One at a time, she went over every piece of information; every photo, witness interview, and leads that they police had. Bit by bit, piece by piece she connected all the information she needed in order to compose characteristics of the person that had done this. Occasionally, L would come by to sit and watch her. He was silent most of the time, only watching her notes. His thumb would always be close to his lips, as if he was in a state of deep thought. This made her nervous when he did this, for she did not know whether the thoughts in his head were positive or negative. But still she worked. She wanted to prove them right.

Hours went by, many hours. At first she didn't think she would be able to even accomplish her task. Fear of failure was constantly in her mind. But then, she did it. It was done. Five hours of sifting and pouring, she finally got it done. Turning around, she held her notebook in the air for Watari to see. "I did it!" She yelled across the room to him, a silly little grin upon her face. A nod was all she got in return, and waited a little too impatiently as both he and L came over to see how she had done.

After careful evaluation, which seemed like it only took a few moments for hours of hard work, Watari let out a small chuckle. "This is some conclusion you came to, Gin. Do you care to explain what made you think of this?"

"Uhh, well..." Gin said, a small blush creeping across her face. "When I saw the crime scene I knew that it must have been personal. The way things were scattered around made it seem as though the person had tried to make it seem as though it was a standard robbery gone wrong. But as you see here," Pointing to the photo of the woman, "Her face is covered. Only someone that knew her would do such a thing. As if he was very regretful of what he had just done."

"Oh? What makes you think that it was a man?"

Again, she pointed to the photo of the woman. "If you look closely, she has hand marks around her neck. These marks are way too large for a woman. It just doesn't match up. Plus it seems more of a crime of passion. Strangulation is very personal, I believe." She glanced timidly up to both of them.

Watari was quiet and looked over to L. "Well, what do you think? Was she right?"

L was also quiet, seeming as though he was completely lost to the world. After a while of silence, he spoke. "So what is your final conclusion?"

"Ah, well. I think the man who did the murder was very emotionally unstable. He must have had some kind of fascination over this girl, but knew her enough for her to let him in. His ego was very high, almost narcissistic. He left DNA and fingerprints all over the home, as if he was trying to toy with the police. I would say this man wanted attention. He had two motives for killing her: revenge and publicity."

L nodded, turned and left. Minutes later he came back with a file in his hands. Laying it on the table, he opened it and moved the contents around so that she could read it. "Name: Timothy Lancaster. Age: 38. Killed an acquaintance of his after he claimed that she turned him down. Stalked the woman for weeks before brutally beating and strangling her to death. His motives: He claimed that if she was dead, then the world would know how strong his love for her was."

Gin looked through the file timidly. Looking over at L, she was afraid to ask, but did anyway. "So how did I do?"

"Well… percent wise, I'd say that you were 98 percent close to it."

"So I passed?"

Watari smiled. "Yes. You passed."

"So now what?"

"Welcome to the Wammy House."


	8. Chapter 8

Although she was now helping them with various cases, Gin was never going to be able to be considered to be a successor. This was fine to her, as this was not a priority. It was already explained to her after she had completed their task what her job title would be. She would help them be a sort of criminal psychologist, helping them figure out criminals based of the crime scenes. Although she was now helping them, there was never a need for her to pick up a nickname like the rest of the children there. This was because she was more than likely never to go public, so there it wouldn't be a problem. Nevertheless, it was a fun job for her and she was finally able to feel as though she was part of this household.

Gin helped L work on many cases, though he rarely ever talked to her. Most of their time together was spent in silence. This bothered her a lot, but she was too afraid to do anything about it so instead she continued to stay silent until she needed to ask him a question that was relevant to the case they were working on. Though sometimes it seemed that he was calling her over more often than usual to ask her what she thought was the dumbest questions. Or maybe Gin was just jumping to conclusion.

But there did come a day that she had a hard time concentrating on her paperwork, her thoughts kept moving to that boy who was sitting only a few feet away from her. Her gaze kept moving towards him, watching him with mild fascination. It was then that she knew what she wanted to do instead of this work. Standing up and without much thought to her actions, Gin walked over to L, grabbing him by the wrists and tugged at him. To her surprise, he wasn't hard to move at all and although he was giving her strange looks, he did not protest as she led him outside the house.

Still holding onto him, fingers tightly wrapped around his wrist. Though her thoughts were on where she was leading them to, her thoughts kept going back to her holding onto him. Gin knew what she felt like doing, but should she? Although she knew what might happen, she decided to do it. With nervous movements, her fingers slowly unwrapped around his wrist and move down to his hand.

"What are you doing?" L asked, finally looking up at her.

Gin stopped a few paces in front of him, turning around to look at their hands. Turning around, she dropped her hand close to her side. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I did that." She lied, pausing for a moment before she continued to walk along the sidewalk. At that moment in time, it didn't matter anymore whether or not L followed her, because she felt like the silliest little girl in the world. What was she thinking doing something like that to someone that was still basically a stranger to her? She wondered what he must think of her now. Still a silly little child? She wanted to prove him wrong, but by doing that she was only doing the opposite.

The sound of walking was still behind her and knew from the sound of it that he was still following her. That was strange, but maybe it wasn't something he thought was a big deal. Or he was being nice. Gin always had a way of jumping to conclusions, the negative ones. But she _knew_ that what he was thinking of her had to be negative because she was thinking of herself negatively as well. Gin wanted to turn to look at him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. What would she do if he was looking at her; watching her this whole time? Gin would be speechless, that's what. Then she would probably make herself look more foolish. So she kept her gaze straight ahead and focused on where she was going.

Her hand twitched slightly, thinking about how she had touched his hand. Was it her imagination or did he seem to hold her hand just as tightly when she did it? She wasn't sure, but she wished it was true. Her hand twitched again. Had something touched her? No. Nothing touched it. Just her imagination.

No. Something definitely was touching her hand. Looking down at it quickly, she noticed that L had moved his hand back to hold hers. For a moment she thought that she had done it unintentionally again, but when she looked over towards L, she saw that he was looking at her. "I don't mind." He said.

They walked in a kind of silence. Gin didn't know what she should say to him and she figured that he was probably thinking the same thing. At the moment, all she could think about was how warm his hand was; how natural it seemed to just be holding hands. She was thinking about what others would think of them if they saw them; whether they would be looked at as a couple or just friends. It was strange to be thinking these thoughts, of course. She knew that she did not harbor any feelings for this boy. So why was she? "Strange." She mumbled to herself.

"What was that?"

"What?" Gin asked, oblivious to the fact that she had even started talking to herself.

"You said something." L said. "Were you talking to me?"

Gin shook her head. "It's nothing important." Her voice was a little louder than she had wanted and when she looked at L, knew by the look on his face he didn't believe her. "Really, it's nothing." She repeated. This seemed to have helped somewhat because L nodded slightly.

"Anyway, we're here." Gin said, hoping the change in subject would do some good.

"Where? I don't see anything."

"Here" Gin said, pointing towards a grove of trees. They were planted beside a cobblestone walkway, growing over it to make it look like a tunnel. They were nearly near the outside of the town where the urban city life and the rural life met together. If one was not looking carefully, it could be something they would more than likely miss. It was a secluded spot and because of that didn't receive many visitors. This was good for Gin because she wanted to be alone with L today. No cases, no work. Just them. Alone.

They continued slowly down the path. Gin slowed her pace during their walk down the tree tunnel. It brought back memories from her childhood. Good memories that made her smile. She remembered how her parents used to bring her here so long ago. They were always doing things like that. The thought of them made her heart ache and for a moment she was sad. It must have shown on her face because L looked at her. No, more like he was staring at her. But he didn't say anything to her. She assumed it was because he knew that she wouldn't tell him even if he did ask her, which was true. She didn't want to tell him what was bothering her; he might see her as being silly again and she didn't want that.

They soon walked to the end of the path and as they stood at the end, saw where they had come to. Beyond them lay acres of beautiful land that seemed to stretch on forever. Grass that looked so green it could be believed to be fake lay ankle high, untouched by people for some time. Wild flowers were scattered across in small patches. Gin had always thought that it looked like a patchwork quilt from the way the flowers were arranged. The grass seemed so plush and soft, Gin wanted to take off and run, but the lake caught her eye.

It had been years since she had last seen it, but it still was as beautiful as ever. It was a large lake, filled with the bluest water. It shimmered with the sun's rays, sending off sparkles that made Gin look away if she 

looked directly at it. Over by the lake there stood a tree only a few feet away. A weeping willow whose branches hung so low, it dipped into the water. That was always her favorite spot to go as a child, and it was also the place that she was going to take L. Holding on tightly to his hand, she started to run.

The wing rushed past around her, enveloping her in a variety of scents from the meadow. Breathing in deeply, she smiled. This was one of her favorite moments; running down to the lake. She didn't know why it was, but it was always something that she looked forward to since she was a child. Gin would have picked up her pace, but it seemed as though this was already fast enough for L. She never wanted this moment to end, but soon they came across the edge of the lake and when they finally reached the cool shade of the tree, Gin finally let go of his hand. Sitting on the grass, she drew her legs up close to her chest and looked up at L. He stood there at first, looking around at where they were. Choosing to lean against the trunk of the tree, he sunk his hands back deep into his pockets and stared out onto the lake. "So, what is this place?" He asked slowly.

Gin looked down, plucking random blades of grass while she spoke. "It's a place where I used to go as a child. I haven't been here in such a long time and I thought you might like to come, too."

"Oh." He said. "Why did you want me to come?"

"I don't feel like we really have had the chance to get to know each other. I've been here for three years now and we're still practically strangers." With enough courage, she looked up at him. "You do want to get to know me, right L?"

He shrugged, gaze held where it was. At first he didn't respond, which both hurt and confused Gin. Then she didn't want him to answer. What if he said no? Would this trip have been in vain? If it was, it would have made her feel like fool to bring him out all this way for nothing.

"Tell me about your parents." He finally said after a while of silence.

Oh, her parents. That was a subject that would be difficult for her. Although it had been three years since their deaths, it was still a painful thing to remember. But she decided that it would be best to talk about it because she wanted him to know her better and to see her as more of a person. "My parents were complete opposites, but they seemed to match so perfectly." She began, plucking blades of grass, tying them together to occupy her as she spoke. "My mother was a very skilled baker and owned her own cafe. My dad was a respected constable with Scotland Yards. They were both really hard workers and very successful, working really hard to ensure that I would have a good future. That's why when they died in the accident; I didn't know what to do…" She trailed off, tears beginning to threaten to form.

"How did they die?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Gin said quickly. She didn't, at least not now. She didn't expect to answer this question until later and she wasn't yet prepared to answer it now. If she tried to, a flood of emotions might let themselves out. It was too overwhelming and she knew if she continued, she would start to break down. Gin rested her chin on her knees, wrapping her arms around them. Looking over to the lake, she became silent; listening to the birds far off in the distance.

"What's wrong?" He asked her. Somehow there seemed to be a hint of concern in his voice.

She remained silent.

The sounds around them started to take up the silence. Birds sang in the distance; a mix of mourning doves and small birds. Crickets sang their songs, bees buzzed lazily, and fish would jump out of the lake to catch a dragonfly that happened to venture too close to the water's surface. It was nearing late afternoon now. The sun was starting to set in the distance, the temperature dropping little by little. It was soon that Gin didn't have a thought in her head. Staring out into the distance, she was aware at what she was looking at, but at the same time it didn't register with her. She simply zoned out from the rest of the world as her surroundings slowly took her over.

After a while, L walked over to her. Holding out his hand to her he offered to help her up. Looking at him, she gave him a distant and cold stare. She knew she should have taken his hand, but she didn't. Standing up, she started too walked back up the hill towards the pathway. There was some distance between the two as they made their way back, but once she reached the entrance of the path, L was close behind her.

They walked the rest of the way home in silence.


	9. Chapter 9

L leaned against the wall, looking out of the window. Hands in pockets, he moved his fingers uneasily in them. Today was something that he had never really experienced before and he felt as though he had completely ruined it. It wasn't like him to feel this way. Normally he was a very logical thinker. He rarely let his emotions get the best of him. But it seemed that whenever he was around her, he couldn't help but feel that way. L had a feeling about how she felt about him.

"Stupid." He shouldn't have asked her that question, but how was he to know that she would become so distant afterwards? After all, she did take him there so they could talk. It was only to get to know her more. He shifted from one foot to another, feeling uneasy. Why was he feeling this way?

He heard something in the distance, something that started off soft and gradually grew louder. It was the sound of music, something that came from a violin. This was strange; he never heard this music in the house before, so it only seemed natural to him that he go out to see where it was coming from. Stepping out of his room, he made his way down the hall. It took some time walking around the building, but as he stepped down one part of the house, the music started to get louder the closer he walked down it. It was a relief. That is, until he found where the music was coming from.

It was from Gin's room.

L pressed his ear to the door, surprised as it opened slightly. Wrapping his fingers around the edge of the door, he opened it a little more. Looking inside, he scanned the room before entering. It was dark, the only lights were from a combination of the street lights and the moon shining through the large windows. This was good for him, as he would not easily be spotted. Though he could hear the music from here, she was no where in sight. He walked through her small sitting area to the door of her bed room. Pressing his ear against the door, he heard the music. At first he thought that this was as far as he was going to be able to go without her knowing that he was in her room until he spotted that her door wasn't completely shut. Doing the same as he did with the entrance, L walked halfway into the room.

Gin stood with her back to him. Facing her windows, her chin rests against her violin. As she played, her body moved with the rhythm of the music. Her eyes were closed; a sad expression was on her face. L moved closer into the room, but that only made her realize that she was no longer alone. Stopping, she turned around quickly, seeing him almost immediately."Hello." Gin said, her face showing to emotion though her voice sounded very tired.

"Hello." He responded.

"Was there something you wanted?"

L shrugged. The truth was that he only came to listen to her play, but for some reason he did not tell her that. There was something about her that made him uneasy at that moment. "I wanted to apologize to you about what I said. I didn't mean to get you upset." Shifting uneasily from one foot to the other, he waited for her to reply.

Gin turned back to the window, but L was still able to see her face. Her expression was sad, showing that she was more upset than angry. His question earlier that day more than likely brought up painful memories for her. "It's fine." She said very voice soft and words slow. "I know you didn't mean anything by the question. You were just curious." Her gaze dropped on the instrument she held in her hands, a small laugh coming from her. "You know what? I used to play this when I was younger. I never would have picked it up unless my parents persisted that I did. In a way, I'm glad. It's one of the only things that still remind me of them. I haven't played it in so long because it was so painful, but today it doesn't seem to hurt as much. I'm glad you asked me that question; it made me think long and hard about their deaths.

"I had always thought it was my fault. I was the one they were going to go pick up. It was raining so hard, but they still came. After Roger told me what had happened, all I could think was how awful I was for making them come out to get me. How I was the one that had caused their death. If it wasn't for me, then they wouldn't have been out. Instead, they would have been safe and sound at home and life would have moved on. I would still have my family.

"After you asked me that question, I shut myself in my room. At first, I felt nothing except rage. But then the tears came and for a while I didn't think they would stop. When they did, I was empty. I hated that feeling, but it brought me to the realization that I never fully grieved for them. I had been too full of guilt about it; I never allowed myself to cry. Doing that helped me feel better. It made me realize that it wasn't my fault that they died. It was an accident, just an accident. There was nothing I could have done to prevent it and nothing else to do but move on.

"So I picked up my violin and started to play. I was playing for myself, playing for them, and yet for nothing at the same time. All my emotions were flowing out in music and lyrics that I had held inside myself for so long. And it was you that did it." Gin turned to him, her eyes shining. "If it hadn't been for you, I never would have found the strength to forgive myself."

L was taken aback for a moment. He was not expecting this; to hear all this from her. Gin had always seemed like this silly little carefree girl. She had always been bubbly and happy. Never before would have ever thought that she was holding such deep emotions inside herself. It made him see her in a completely different way, and even seeing her now was different from before she spoke. Gin seemed older, more mature. For the first time in his time knowing her, he realized what Roger had meant when he said to L that he just wanted everyone to see her the way he did.

"Would you stay and talk to me tonight?" she whispered, so softly that he almost didn't hear her.

L nodded. "Yeah, I will."

They took their seats on two chairs next to her window. At first, the only thing they did was stare at one another and slowly it turned into small conversations. This time Gin wasn't hesitant to answer his questions and L was glad about that. This was the first time he had ever gotten close to anyone besides Watari and it felt strange. He thought that could be why he was so hostile to her at first. Maybe deep down inside, he was afraid to become close to anyone. Doing that only set up someone for pain later and he didn't need that.

A few hours into their conversation, Gin laid her head down against the arm of the chair. He watched as she drifted off to sleep, but did nothing to stop her. Rather he let her go to sleep. There was no use for her to stay up, especially if she was tired. Standing, he walked over to her. Picking her up, he walked over to her bed and carefully laid her down, trying hard not to wake her up. As he stood there watching her, his hand 

went towards her face, brushing some hair away from her face. There was something that was inside him; an emotion he never really felt before. For the first time in a while, he smiled at her.

L knew he should have left, but he didn't. Instead, he sat down beside her. Taking her by the hand, he kept a watch over her until dawn.


	10. Chapter 10

It seemed as though everything was working out between them. As they worked on cases, Gin would occasionally visit L and sometimes he would do the same. It got to the point that it seemed as though they were always like this and Gin was glad that things turned out the way they did. The more she got to know this boy, the more she started to develop feelings for him. It was strange as in the beginning before Gin really knew him she thought that she had feelings for him, but before she had only brushed it off. Now she was certain that she had feelings for him. There was something about him that was alluring to her. It could have been his eccentric personality, his lack of emotions or at least the way he didn't let them get in the way of logical reasoning, or maybe it was the combination of the two. Either way, she was slowly falling for him.

The question was: did he feel the same way for her? Gin did think about that night that they finally really talked. She knew that he had stayed with her the whole night, even after she had fallen asleep. He could have left. Gin never would have known. But he didn't. He stayed and watched her. L kept his word. Would someone do that out of obligation or would someone do that because there was something more? Gin wasn't sure, but she wanted to believe that he felt the same way. If it turned out that he didn't, it would break her. He's the only one she had really gotten close to after her parents death. To have him walk away now would tear her world apart.

It was eventual, though. Everything is eventual. Nothing can always stay this way. At least, not for her. In time, she knew that there would be something that would tear them apart. Gin had a feeling it would happen, and soon. During those recent days it seemed as though the air had become thick with something that told of something big to come. Something that was about to shake the very foundations of the Wammy house. But what could it be? Again, she wasn't sure and could only hope that it wouldn't come too soon.

All she could was wait and how she hated it. Gin knew it was coming, knew it. But it seemed silly to ruin something based on mere speculation alone. So for now, she would brush it off. Think of it as nothing and concentrate on right now. It was the only thing she could do to forget.

Then it came.


End file.
